Imatges de pàgina
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Bra. Thou art a villain.

[dorigo.

lago. You are a fenator.
Bra. This thou fhalt anfwer. I know thee, Ko-
Rod. Sir, I will anfwer any thing. But I befeech
If't be your pleasure and moft wife confent [you,
(As partly, I find, it is) that your fair daughter,
At this odd even and dull watch of the night,
Transported with no worfe nor better guard,
But with a knave of hire, a Gondelier,
To the grofs clafps of a lafcivious Moor;
If this be known to you, and your allowance,
We then have done you bold and faucy wrongs.
But if you know not this, my manners tell me,
We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe,
That from the fenfe of all civility

I thus would play, and trifle with your reverence.
Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,
I fay again, hath made a grofs revolt;
1ying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes
To an extravagant and wheeling ftranger,
Of here and every where. Straight fatisfy yourfelf;
If the be in her chamber, or your house,
Let loose on me the juftice of the State
For thus deluding you.

Bra Strike on the tinder, ho!

Give me a taper;-call up all my people;-
This accident is not unlike my dream,
Belief of it oppreffes me already.

Light, I fay, light!

lago. Farewel; for I must leave you.

It feems not meet, nor wholiome to my place,
To be produc'd (as, if I ftay, I fhall)

Againit the Moor. For I do know, the State,
However this may gall him with fome check,
Cannot with fafety caft him. For he's embark'd ́
With fuch loud reafon to the Cyprus' wars,
VOL. XII.

Which even now ftand in act, that for their fouls,
Another of his fadom they have none,
To lead their bufinefs. In which regard,
Though I do hate him as I do hell's pains
Yet, for neceffity of present life,

I muft fhew out a flag and fign of love: [find him, (Which is, indeed, but fign.) That you may furely Lead to the Sagittary the raifed fearch;

And there will I be with him. So, farewel. [Exit ̧

Enter BRABANTI0, and Servants with lighted

Torches.

Bra. It is too true an evil.

Gone fhe is;

And what's to come of my despised time,

Is nought but bitternefs. Now, Rodorigo,
Where didft thou fee her? Oh unhappy girl!
With the Moor, faidst thou? who would be a father?
How didft thou know 'twas fhe? oh, the deceives me,
Paft thought- What faid fhe to you? get more

tapers

Raife all my kindred---are they married, think you? Rod. Truly, I think, they are.

Bra. Oh Heaven! how gat fhe out!

Oh treason of my blood!

Fathers, from hence truft not your daughters' minds,
By what you fee them act. Are there not charms,
By which the property of youth and maidhood
May be abufed? have you not read, Rodorigo,
Of fome fuch thing?

[had her.

Rod. Yes, Sir, I have, indeed. Bre. Call up my brother. Oh, 'would you had Some one way, fome another-Do you know Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

Rod. I think I can difcover him, if you pleafe To get good guard, and go along with me.

Bra. Pray you, lead on. At every houfe I'll call,

I

may command at moft; get weapons, hoa! And raise fome fpecial officers of might:

On, good Rodorigo, I'll deferve your pains. [Exe.

SCENE changes to another Street before the Sa

gittary.

Enter OTHELLO, IAGO, and Attendants, with
Torches.

Iago. Tho' in the trade of war I have flain men,
Yet do I hold it very stuff o' th' confcience
To do no contrived murder: I lack iniquity
Sometimes to do mè fervice.-----Nine or ten times
I thought to've jerked him here under the ribs.
Oth. It's better as it is.

Iago. Nay, but he prated,

And poke fuch fcurvy and provoking terms
Against your honour;

That with the little godlinefs I have,

I did full hard forbear him. But I pray, Sir,
Are you falt married? for be fure of this,
That the magnifico is much beloved,

And hath in his effect a voice potential (6)
As double as the Duke's: he will divorce you,
Or put upon you what reftraint or grievance
The law (with all his might t' enforce it on)
Will give him cable.

Oth. Let him do his fpight:

(6) And bath in his effect a voice potential,

As double as the Duke's] Rymer feems to have had his eye on this paffage amongst others, when he talks fo much of the impropriety and barbarity in the ftyle of this play. But it is, in truth, a very elegant grecifm. As double, fignifies as large, as exte vive. So the Greeks ufed dius, for, latus, grandis, as well as duplex; and, in the fame manner and conftructions, the Latins fometimes ufed their duplex. Mr Warburton.

My fervices, which I have done the fignory,
Shall out-tongue his complaints. 'Tis yet to know,
(Which, when I know that boating is an honour,
I fhall promulgate) I fetch my life and being (7)
From men of royal fiege; and my demerits
May fpeak, and bonneted, to as proud a fortune
As this that I have reached. For know, Iago,
But that I love the gentle Defdemona,

I would not my unhoufed free condition
Put into circumfcription and confine,

[yonder. For the fea's worth. But look, what lights come

(7)

-I fetch my life and being

From men of royal fiege; and my demerits.

May Speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune

As this that I have reached.] Thus all the copies read this. paffage. But to speak unbonneted, is to speak with the cap. off, which is directly oppofite to the Foet's meaning. So, in King Lear;

This night, in which the cub-drawn bear would couch,
The lion, and the belly-pinched wolf,

Keep their furr dry, unbonneted he runs,

And bids what will take all.

Othello means to fay, that his birth and fervices fet him upon fuch a rank, that he may fpeak to a fenator of Venice with his hat on; i. e without fhewing any marks of deference, or inequality. I, therefore, am inclined to think Shakespeare

wrote;

May fpeak, and bonneted, &c.

Or, if any like better the change of the negative un, in. the corrupted reading, into the epitatic im, we may thus reform it;

May fpeak imbonneted, &c.

I propofed the correction of this paffage in my Shakefpeare Rettored; upon which Mr Pope, in his laft edition, has found out another expedicnt, and would read;

May fpeak u bon eting, &c.

i. e. as he fays, without pulling off the bonnett. But the fenfe thus is equivocal and obfcure; and wonneting more Baturally fignifies pulling off the bonnet, than the contrary.

Enter CASS10 with Torches.

Iago. Those are the raised father, and his friends: You were beft go in.

Oth. Not i; I must be found.

My parts, my title, and my perfect foul
Shall manifeft me rightly. is it they?
Iago. By Janus, I think no.

[nant.

Oth. The fervants of the Duke and my LieuteThe goodness of the night upon you, friends! What is the news?

Caf. The Duke doth greet you, General;

And he requires your haite, poft-hafte appearance, Even on the inflant.

Oth. What is the matter, think you?

Caf. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine; It is a business of fome heat. The gallies Have fent a dozen fequent meffengers

This very night at one another's heels:

And many of the counsellors raised and met, (8) Are at the Duke's already. You have been hotly called for,

When, being not at your lodging to be found,
The Senate fent above three feveral quefts,
To fearch you out.

Oth. 'Tis well I am found by you:

I will but spend a word here in the house,

And go with you.

[Exit Othello.

Caf. Ancient, what makes he here?

(8) And many of the confuls, raifel and met,

Are at the Dike's already] Thus all the editions concur in reading; but there is no fuch character as a confil ap pears in any part of the play. I change it to crunfellors; i. c. the grandees that conftitute the great council at Venice. The reafon I have already given above, in the clofe of the fifth note.

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